Process of casting steam-turbine wheels, &amp;c.



'w. T. HOPSON & o. B. REARIGK. PROCESS 0F CASTING STEAM TUBBINE WHEELSrhAPPLIOATIOI FILED IAB. 11, 1911.

'Panentel Nov.1'4, 1911.

wlmfssfs 'd TTORNE VS UNITED STATES PATENT o union.

WILLIAM T. HOPSON, 0F NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT, AND CHARL ES BEMISREARIK, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

V:PROCESS 0F CASTING SEAM-TURBINE WHEELS, icc.

specification bf Letters Patent.

Patent ed Nov. 14, 1.911.

Application filed March 11, 1911. Serial No. 613,904.

fl'o ali whom tt may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM T. HOPSON, of New London, Connecticut, andCHARLES BEMIs REARICK, .of New Yorkcity, New York, citizens of theUnited States, have made certain new and useful Inventions Re, lating toProcesses of Casting Steam-Tun bine VWheels, &c., of'which the followingis a specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,which forms part of the same.

This invention relates to processes of casting steam turbine wheelshaving thin bucket vanes or other objects having thin partitions, lugsorteeth which consist in pouring the metal into aV suitable distributingbasin which communicates through sprues in the mold With a heavy flowring adjacent said partitions 'or with a relatively heavier portion 4ofthe casting itself adjacent the partitions and in flowlng the moltenmetal thus supplied through `such thin partitions and connected runnerscommunicating with the iiow ring so as to prevent chilling'the metalentering the partitions,l and` thereby secure strong sound partitions ofunusual thinness. `In the Vaccompanying drawings showing in. a somewhatdiagrammatic manner an illustrative Inode of carrying `out this invention, Figure 1 is a Vvertical central section through the mold andcasting. Fig. 2 is a partialA horizontal section thereof; an'd Fig. 3 isa partial vertical section taken outside the casting. 4

According to the illustrative manner-of i carrying out this inventionshown in the y drawing, the'sectionsofthe iiask 1 conta1n ing the ,upperand lower sections 3, et of the green sand or baked sand lmold may bemounted on the usual Inold board 2. The

t casting Which may be any vobject having thin partitions on itsperipheryfor instance, such l for example, as thin lugs, teeth, orbucket vanes, such as 17, in thefcase of the steam turbine. Wheelillustrated, may have a rela'v tivelythiclrer rim 18 substantiallyinclosing or shrouding thesepartitions and c on-A i necting them Withvvthe web'G Whichmay extend inward to connect with the enlarged -hub 15.As is specially desirable in steam turbinewheels these partitions may bythe present method be cast of the extreme .thinness ofone-,tenth of aninch or less in s ome cases 'and stlll secure strongsound castings whenbronze orother suitable metal is used.v l

The mold ,may be for] Jed in the usual Way and the wheel bucket: orrecesses 1G on either side of the parti ,ion 17, fornistance be formedby the use of sectional or integral cores 5 arranged in the r lold asindicated. .i heavy o r relatively larg e sectioned flow ring or gate 1sprovided locai ed at any convenient point adjaceiigitgbepart tions sothat during the casting cess the: `e may be a relative- HOW off'metalthrough the partitions and runners connecting the] 1 with the flow ringso that the molten inet al passing in either direction between the ieavygate and the parts of the casting ad acentcthe partitions preventschilling of me `al entering the partitions and insures tin strongr andsound characterof these thin partitions. For example, the heavy gate maybe in the forni of the flow ring 9 exten ling around the turbine wheeladjacent thi partitions and `for convenience formed in t ontact with anyside of the ring of'cores 5, for instance on top of these cores, asillustl ited in the drawing. A series of tapering ru mers 7 maybe usedto connect this 'flow rin g to each of the nartitions, as indicated inFigs. 1 and 3 of the drawing anda series o sPrlTs 11 serves to connectthis 'heavy gat( with a distributing basin 10 .which 'may be i1 the formof a circular-ring around the top the mold in case a turbine wheel isbeing n ast'. It is also desirable to have another cistributingabasin 13which may be in simil: r circular form connected by a series of sp`ues/12 with the, part of the casting adjacent )tte partitions,-'such,for example', as the rel. v1 and also Vif desired e orY 4more separatesprues 21 may supp In etal to the other portions of the ca sti suci as'the hub 15 from one or more basins la i l the top of the cast;

ing. 4

In pouring theniold the molten 1 etal is supplied to4 either one orbothof he dis-v tributing basins, so tl at forV instance the metalentersgandfills trie flow ring or gate 9 4and passing through the seriesof runnersy 7 flows rapidly througi the thin partitions 17 to supply theadjaci nttpartsof the casting and in thus `fiowin gfthrough the partiively heavy rim 18 vpendently supplie to t' le casting as through y thebasins 13 or 14 in wi tic-h/t/hganoltefmnetal 8 would in any vevent riseduring the cast ing-loperation.

avingdescribed this invention inconnection with illustrative methods,devices and arrangements of steps, to the details ofv which disclosurethe invention is not of course limited, what is claimed 'as new and Whatis desired to be secured by Letters Patent'is set forth in the appendedclaims.

1. The process of casting 1n sand molds steam turbine Wheels or the'likehaving thin cored peripheralpartitions which consists in pourin themetal into a continuous distributing asin communicating with apheavyflow ring above andadjacent said partitions,`

.in supplying the'molten metal from said flow ring throughrunners toeach of said 'thinpartitions adjacent the middle portion of its edge toallowthe metal to flow through said partitions during the castingoperation to prevent chilling 'the metal entering said partitions andto'supply the ad'acent portions of the-casting and 1n indepen entlysupplying additionalmetal to the casting.

2. The proces of casting in sand-molds steam turbine vwheels or the likehaving thin peripheral partitions which consists in pour ing the inet-al-into -a circular distributing basin communicating through sprues with aheavy flow ring adjacent said partitions, in supplying the molten metalfrom said flow ring through runners to each of said thin partitions toallow the metal to How through said partitions during the castingoperation to prevent chilling the metal entering said partitionsand tosupply the adjacent portionsof the cast-ing and `in independentlysupplying additional metal tothe casting.

3. The process of casting in sand molds steam turbine Wheels or the likehaving thin cored peripheral partitions, which consists in pouring themetal into a circular distributing basin communicating-through sprueswith a heavy iioW ring adjacent said partitions, in supplying the moltenmetal `from said oW ring through runners to each of said thin partitionsadjacent themiddle portion of its edge to allowthe metalto flowtlirouglisaid'p'artitions during the casting operationto preventchilling the metal entering said partitions and to supply the adjacentportions of the casting and in independently supply-v ing metal to thecasting.

4. rIhe process of casting steam turbine Wheels or -the' likehaving'thin peripheral Apartitions which consists in pouring the metalinto a continuous, distributing basin communicating with a flow ringadjacent Gopies of this patent may be obtained for .wheels or the likehavin partitions which consists Ainforming a flow 4,

80 throughrunners to each ofsaid artitions ve cents each, by Washington,D. C.

municating through runners with each of said thinj partitions and inflowing the molten metal through said runners and' parti tions duringthe casting operation to pre# vent chilling the'metal entering saidpartitions.' j

6. The process ofcasting steamturbine thin peripheral ring adjacent saidpartit-ionsfand connected and in flowing the molten meta through saidpartitions and runners during the casting operation to preventchillin'gthe met-al entering ,said partitions.

7. The process of making in sand molds castings having thin partitionswhichcon sists 4in forming 'a flow gate adjacentA vsaid partitions andconnected through runners with a plurality-of; said partitionsand in.io'wing` the molten metal through said runners and partitions duringthe-.castingpoperation to prevent chilling the metal entering saidpartitions. vi

8. The process of making in sand molds castings having thin edgepartitions which.

consists in forming a heavy flow gate adjacent said partitions andconnected through runners with said partitions and in flowing the metalthrough said runners and partitions during the casting operationtoprevent chilling the metal entering'said `par' 9. The processof'making in sand molds castings having'thin edge partitions whichconsists in forming above and adjacent said partitions a heavy flow gateconnected through runners with a plurality of -said partitions and inowingthemolt'en metal throughsaid runners and partitions during thecasting operation to prevent chilling theinetal entering saidpartitions.-

'WILIJIAM- T. HOPSON.

CHAS. BEMIS REAR-IGK.

Witnesses: I

HARRY L. DUNCAN, i Jnssin B. KAY.l

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

